The beginning of the election year was marked by the culmination of the last and the least productive Budget session of Parliament on Friday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the ruling BJP’s charge by accusing the Opposition Congress of taking parliamentary proceedings to a “new low”.
Competitive fasting
The PM announced a fast by party MPs on April 12 as a mark of protest against the impasse, which they say was caused by the Congress, followed closely by the principal Opposition party vowing to “expose the BJP’s lies” by observing a countrywide day-long fast on April 9.
The competitive fasting reflects a blame-game for the washout in Parliament which, according to PRS Legislative Research, was the “least productive Budget session for both Houses since 2000”. According to the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry, Part II of the Budget session, beginning March 5, saw productivity taking a nose dive due to daily disruptions and adjournments. The productivity of the Lok Sabha was four per cent and that of the Rajya Sabha eight per cent. The session productivity was reminiscent of the winter session of 2010 when the 2G scam led to a complete washout.
So frequent were the disruptions that the Finance Bill was passed without any discussion, and even a no-confidence motion was not taken up because Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan maintained she could not consider the motion because it was not possible to count the 50 MPs supporting the relevant notice amid the pandemonium. This was the first no-confidence motion given in the 16th Lok Sabha.
“A no-confidence motion was also moved in the 15th Lok Sabha in 2013, but was not discussed. In the 14th Lok Sabha, a no-confidence motion was converted to a confidence vote, which the government had won,” said PRS Legislative Research.
The PM said it was mainly the Congress that was responsible for the lack of productivity in both the Houses.
Addressing BJP MPs on the party’s foundation day, Modi kept the Congress in his line of fire and spelled out an exercise by party lawmakers and ministers for reaching out to villages with substantial Dalit and tribal population, through implementation of his government’s seven key welfare schemes.
Briefing reporters on the party meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar quoted the PM as saying that while the BJP’s strength has been rising, the Opposition, especially the Congress, has resorted to “divisive and negative” politics.
Modi accused the Congress of paralysing Parliament proceedings during the Budget Session, and said it was “throttling” democracy and “abusing” people’s mandate.
The Opposition has been left with no issues, and that is why it was resorting to disrupting Parliament, he said.
‘Gimmick’
The Congress, on its part, said the announcement of the BJP’s fast to protest against the logjam in Parliament and the NDA MPs’ bid to forego their salaries for the 23 days of pandemonium was typically a “gimmick” and “drama” because the fundamental responsibility for running the House lies with the government.
Addressing a joint press conference, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and party’s senior spokesperson Anand Sharma alleged that it was the government and its allies which were disrupting the Lok Sabha, and questioned why members causing disturbance were not suspended and the no-confidence motions taken up for discussion. The government and its allies were “orchestrating” disruptions and blaming the Congress for it, Kharge alleged.
The Congress leaders said party chief Rahul Gandhi has announced a plan to hold a fast at all district headquarters on April 9, to help promote peace, brotherhood and harmony in the country.
Sharma alleged that the BJP and the RSS were spreading hatred in society through their “divisive” agenda. The Congress “will expose it” and Rahul Gandhi has appealed to the public to maintain peace and harmony in society, he said.